Welby: Assisted dying plans 'mistaken and dangerous'

The current Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken out against the "mistaken and dangerous" bill that could soon legalise assisted dying.

Archbishop Welby's comments are at odds with one of his predecessors. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Writing in the Times (behind paywall), Most Rev Justin Welby said the Assisted Dying Bill - due to be debated in the House of Lords - would leave a "sword of Damocles" hanging over the heads of elderly people if it passed into law.

The Archbishop said a GCSE religious education examiner would "take a dim view" of the arguments supporting the bill, and added that any new law could leave vulnerable people at risk.

“Abuse, coercion and intimidation can be slow instruments in the hands of the unscrupulous, creating pressure on vulnerable people who are encouraged to ‘do the decent thing,” he said.